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Alchemist (WTO)
The Alchemists are one of the 3 minor Guilds that exist in Stygia. Alchemists practice the Arcanos of Flux. Originally, the Alchemists were members of the Artificers Guild who tinkered more with working across the Shroud than soulforging. The key difference in their development came when a small faction of these wraiths began to research and tinker with an object's actual structure, rather than mere control over it. Their developments were of some minor interest to the Artificers, until they demonstrated the ability to reshape relics, causing Artificer leaders to take notice. Others, however, mainly those involved with the Cult of Nhudri, saw their tampering as blasphemous act of betrayal to the Guild, and such a chill developed that eventually what became the Alchemists broke off from the Artificers and took their newly made Arcanos, Flux, with them. As the Artificers were (and to a degree, still are) the most powerful of Guilds in the eye of the Hierarchy, they had the ears of several officials when Charon brought forth the Dictum Mortuum. They would continuously point out the actions of their cousins while extolling their own virtue and usefulness as soulforgers. The Monitors and Spooks, seeing the potential for the Alchemists to infringe on their activities, joined the Artificers' anti-Alchemist campaign, and in the end it proved successful. Despite the Alchemists' relatively limited involvement in the Skinlands, especially compared to other, more hated Guilds like the Haunters and Puppeteers, Flux became a Forbidden Arcanos. The Artificers continued to shun the Alchemists; when they formed the Compact of the Guilds, the Flux-users were not invited to sign, making them a minor Guild. Despite the insistence of some Artificers, the Alchemists are actually one of the more easy-going groups to deal with in the Shadowlands. Alchemists are research-oriented, examining the energy flow and structural integrity of items. Many believe that objects have a sort of life of their own, and it is the Guild's mission to determine the nature of what that is. Although they will gladly accept oboli and jobs (destroying Fetters and creating relics are frequent missions), they tend to dedicate themselves to the study of objects in the material world. To this end, the Guild, although small, remains tightly knit and operates well together. They also keep in-depth records of their experiments and exploits, making them an invaluable resource that even the Mnemoi cannot touch. Not all Artificers are so cold towards their cousin Guild; some are willing to hide Alchemists for a share of the cut, while others would rather use those gifted in the skills of Flux to do their dirty work across the Shroud. Organization The Alchemists divide themselves into Orders, applying the Guild's store of knowledge in different ways: the Ordinis Denarii is the Guild's commercial arm, supplanting or competing with the Artificers where they're permitted, the Ordinis Oxidato are militants and nihilists, the most likely Alchemists to use Flux as a weapon or teach it to outsiders, the periodically renamed Ordinis Silicium are focused on adapting modern mortal technology to the Underworld, and the Ordinis Velum study the Shroud, the processes of transition across it, and the links between Oblivion, entropy, physics, and chemistry. References * * * * Category:Guilds (WTO)